Content distribution systems are used to provide content to a plurality of end systems. For example, in video-on-demand applications media content has been made available to and utilized by satellite/cable television subscribers. Typically, subscribers can view at their television the video programs available for selection (sometimes for an additional fee) and upon selection made at the subscriber's set-top-box (STB), the program is sent from the program center to the set-top-box via the cable or satellite network. That is, in such content distribution systems, a selection has to be made at the point of display for determining media content to be viewed.
Similarly, in the advertising realm, providing in-store retail media content is becoming the most popular advertising medium in use today, with broadcast distribution being its primary, means of content presentation. That is, in recent years retailers and the managers of public spaces have brought in video display systems for advertising use. In such systems, content is distributed by a server and received at a respective set-top-box for each display or group of displays. Retailers use the displays to present their current offerings or sale information, while the public spaces sell time on the video displays to advertisers either national or local, knowing that large numbers of consumers will see the presentation.
However current distribution systems typically require a separate distribution session for each different type of transmission system implemented to distribute the media content and for each type of media package to be delivered to a specific intended location. That is, in current distribution systems each network (e.g., out-of-home network) is viewed as being unique for the type of playlist generation, packager, and delivery methods, and has specialized interfaces for each function for each network. For example, in a retail sales environment, a first commercial sales outlet may implement a satellite system for sending and receiving information while a second commercial sales outlet may implement a wide-area network (WAN) infrastructure. In current distribution systems, the distribution of media content to commercial sales outlets implementing different transmission systems must be handled separately, usually via completely unrelated distribution systems/sessions. Similarly, in current distribution systems different types of media packages, even if intended for a same final destination, are typically transmitted to that destination via completely separate and unrelated distribution systems/sessions.
As such, there is a need for a new type of content distribution system and workflow which overcomes the above described deficiencies in the state of the art as well as other related deficiencies and which provides for coordinated content distribution and validation across at least a variety of delivery schemes, playlist generation types and media types.